Mistic Pets

Welcome to Issue 13
Created by The Mistic Pets Team

How to Critique
Written By Ryuuko

Nobody is perfect. I know that phrase is terribly overused and cliché, but it’s true. Nobody was born knowing how to write or how to draw; it is something that you must learn from one source or another. And even when you look down on a finished piece after working your fingers to the bone with a satisfied smile as it if it were the most perfect thing to ever grace Mistica with its presence, chances are that there is at least one thing, anything, that can be improved upon. And, as much as we might not like to admit it, chances are that someone else can see that area crying for improvement and who can help you fix it. It is for this very reason that critique is perhaps one of the greatest gifts any artist, be your medium the written (or typed) word or some visual, artistic masterpiece. Critique, when given correctly, can help your art continue to grow and evolve. But while the artist’s willingness to accept such critique plays a role in just how rapid this evolution is, if it even occurs at all, it is also important for the critique to be given in the right way. And luckily, in my adventures editing peers’ essays and stories for as long as I can remember, I have learned the proper way to give critique

The method I am about to teach to you is called the compliment sandwich. While it sounds like something particularly delicious in more ways than one, I assure you that it is the most effective way to ensure that the artist on the receiving end of your critique will take it to heart instead of viewing it as nothing more than a personal attack. This is the basic layout of the compliment sandwich: compliment, critique, compliment. By starting off with a compliment instead of launching right into what’s wrong with the piece, you give your critique a friendlier feel, as well as make the artist more inclined to believe that you are genuinely trying to help them instead of putting down their work to feed your god complex. You must find something, anything, that you like about their work. Even if you feel that the writing or drawing is the most awful thing you have ever seen and that your eyes are going to jump out of your skull just to escape exposure to such a horrific thing, you can still say that you really enjoyed the concept that the artist was attempting to achieve.

The critique section of the compliment sandwich is not a blank check to unleash your artistic fury, however. Don’t just point out what is wrong with the piece: explain how to fix it. If you simply go around pointing out errors without explaining how to correct them, your post quickly degenerates into insults that will more than likely serve nothing more than to fuel an impending flame war. If, in real life, someone walked past you and simply said, “your shoelaces are wrong, you stink” upon noticing that your shoes are untied, would you kindly thank them before bending over to correct the problem? What if you didn’t know how to tie your shoes? The same concept applies to critiquing art and writing, especially on the Internet. Thanks to the anonymity that the world wide web grants us, it is much, much easier for fights to start when both parties know that the opposing side has no way of dishing out real life consequences for their actions.

And last but not least, always, always end your critique on a positive note. Repeat the first compliment if you have to; just remind the artist that you are only trying to help them improve because you like their work. I know some would call that sugarcoating, but, because you are more likely than not dealing with a complete stranger, it’s always safe to err on the side of caution.

Congratulations! You've helped find MeriKlaus' stignightus! Enjoy this Roustig as a thank you gift! 

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